L'Écho de l'Alchimie, 2026

Fabrice Mangin  

This work, an abstract painting in mixed media on an imposing square canvas of one meter by one meter, asserts itself through its physical presence and surface complexity.

Materials and Texture: The base is a canvas stretched on a frame (visible at the edge of the work). The surface is a rich superposition of materials. The artist used acrylic in dense layers, worked in places to create physical textures (the vertical textile imprint, the sharp edges of the palette knife). Gold leaf was applied, not in a smooth and continuous surface, but in fragmented and textured touches, creating imperfect metallic reflections and an impression of old patina. Glitter is scattered throughout the composition, capturing and diffracting light randomly to introduce a volatile and "magical" level of brilliance, in contrast to the heaviness of the metal.

Color Palette and Color Interaction: The dominance is a struggle between an imperfect metallic gold, a vibrant, saturated, and opaque scarlet red, and diffuse passages of slate blue-gray that seem to pierce through in places. The glitter adds luminous points of various colors (gold, silver, even blue) that modify the perceived color according to the angle of observation. The red acrylic is applied with a bold gesturality, creating blocks that "burn" through the golden surface.

Composition and Structure: The composition is a tear in a preexisting grid. The large horizontal and vertical blocks of red and gold overlap without ever creating symmetry, but rather a feeling of precarious balance. The background weave is deconstructed by the material. It is a work that refuses a single focal point, inviting the viewer to "dig" into the surface with their eyes, layer by layer, texture by texture.